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William Shatner will appear on “The Colbert Report” tomorrow Wednesday February 29 on Comedy Central at 11:30 PM.

William Shatner, as you can imagine, has a lot to say.

​Now 80, the Star Trek legend opens his one-man show, Shatner’s World: We Just Live in It, on Broadway Feb. 16, before launching the national tour at the Pantages on March 10.

Here are some outtakes from our William Shatner interview we featured in print this week:

Knowing all that you know, and all that you’ve lived through, what would you tell young talent today if they were trying to break in?

If they were trying to break in, I’d call the police.

Break in to the industry. Would you still call the police?
I used to say, get into the theater, play the great parts, get the discipline, the training. But the more I look at TV, those who are succeeding are kids with unique personalities and quirky ideas — that seems to be more what’s in demand than some disciplined actor. It may be a waste of time for those coming in to be trained.
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At the top of the stairs leading up to the Hollywood Dance Center on Highland Avenue, the first sight that comes into view is mirrors lining the walls. In the mirrors, you can see the long worktable, at which sit a stage manager, sundry assistants and director Scott Faris. In front of the table, the mirrors reflect the back of a slightly rotund actor in a short-sleeved, button-down sport shirt, black nylon running sweats and jogging shoes. He’s standing near a swivel chair, preparing to rehearse two scenes from the solo show he wrote, Shatner’s World: We Just Live in It, slated to start previews on Broadway at the Music Box on Valentine’s Day, before opening Feb. 16 and starting a national tour March 10 at the Pantages Theatre.

The writer-actor is, of course, William Shatner, whose far-flung career has ranged from Star Trek, on which Shatner portrayed the handsome, no-nonsense, slightly wry and occasionally romantic Captain Kirk, to his current reputation as a Priceline front man and Betty White–esque cult figure. Shatner’s other looming claim to fame is his portrayal of the politically conservative attorney Denny Crane who appeared in two series: ABC’s The Practice and its spinoff, Boston Legal. Shatner is one of the few actors who has won Emmy Awards for playing the same character in two different shows.
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Bravado is a familiar part of William Shatner’s image and his acting portfolio, whether he’s in character as James T. Kirk, Denny Crane or the Negotiator TV pitchman.

Even the title of the one-man show he’s bringing to Broadway this week – “Shatner’s World: We Just Live in It” – has moxie to spare. So it’s surprising, even endearing, that Shatner admits to his version of stage fright.

“My fears are not the primitive, `I’m afraid I can’t talk’ kind of fear that young actors have. Mine is, `I’m afraid the ticket sales won’t go,’” he said recently in his memento-decorated office before heading to New York for the play’s Thursday opening.

Another worry, and this is a big one: that audiences will prove tougher to impress than they were in Australia and Canada, where he toured with an early incarnation of the show. Shatner was last on Broadway in the 1961-62 production of “A Shot in the Dark,” starring Julie Harris and Walter Matthau.

“I feel New York is held to a higher standard than anyplace else,” he said. “I’m anxious to see how the New York audience will accept me.”

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The question to William Shatner was fairly conventional. The answer wasn’t.

What are people who come to your new Broadway show going to see and, just as important, what are they not going to see?

“They’re not going to see me naked,” Mr. Shatner said.

“Now that,” he added, “will disappoint about three people.”

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